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I have successfully trained my close friends and family to tell me about each and every beauty product they try and decide they can no longer live without. Case in point: While on a two-week long Hawaiian vacation, my mom texts me with urgent info about a beauty problem-solving product she recently bought and had surprising success with. Here’s how the exchange about this hairspray went down:

K: Tell me specifically what you like about it. I’m sitting here desperately trying to think about post ideas.

M: I like it because you can use it on wet or dry hair. Easy to style and it makes your hair shiny with body!

K: How did you use it?

M: I used it for the first time today in dry hair that was flat after being wind blown all day. It looks like I washed, dried and styled my hair!

K: What does it smell like?

M: Fresh smell.

K: Did it make your hair wet? Did you have to blow dry it a bit or what was that process/experience like?

M: Not wet, but damp.

M: I need a Curtis pic. [I had to get her back on topic here. She was demanding photos of my son.]

K: So did you let [your hair] air dry? Brush through it with a specific brush?

M: Sprayed it on and used a round brush with a hair dryer.

M: I’ll let you know how it works on wet hair tomorrow.

K: Okay. Cool. [Then we go on to talk about how my son bit a friend at school. Ugh.]

She texted me the next morning to say that her hair still looked fabulous from her touch-up with the hairspray the night before. She texted again the day after that to say, “Styling spray great on wet hair too!” Mom likes exclamation points. She also included photos of her hair, which looked great. The photos on the other hand, didn’t look so great. She wasn’t wearing any makeup and she’s not the best selfie taker (sorry, Mom!). so I decided not to post the photos here. Mom, you can thank me for that later.

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Social media was all abuzz when Jared Leto arrived at the Golden Globe Awards wearing a man braid, so I think he’d approve of the gigantic braided hairstyles I recently pinned. Pinterest is my go-to way to discover amazing new braided styles and since Mr. Leto showed up wearing a braided ‘do on Sunday, I’m pretty sure the style won’t be going away anytime soon.

Recreating these looks will require yards of extensions (or a Barbie-like head of natural hair), but I think they are stunning, totally worth the effort and will likely make you look thinner, too. Gigantic hair, smaller body … you with me on this? Anyway, here are my latest braided hairstyle Pins.

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Rosamund Pike’s simple bob was my favorite look of the night. A fresh departure from the old Hollywood waves we see everywhere, this style looks black-tie, red carpet ready, yet super accessible. And it’s making me want to chop my hair.
Image: Just Jared

Lupita Nyong’o didn’t disappoint as she continues to dominate the red carpet with bold and right-on-the-mark makeup choices. Beautiful purple shadow and a glossy pink lip are the perfect complement to her skin tone and lavender gown.
Image: Just Jared

Allison William’s charcoal smoky eye and sculpted faux-bob wasn’t my favorite at the Golden Globes — at first. But after I saw it again from a different angle, I couldn’t help but become obsessed with how striking and pretty it was. Now it’s one of my top pics.
Image: Cosmopolitan UK

Keira Knightley’s earthy tones and berry lip accentuate her naturally beautiful features and look down right perfect IMHO. Her lip line is soft and diffused (glide a Q-tip along the edges of your lipstick to achieve this), which gives it a pretty, and delicate look.
Image: Just Jared

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Back in May I did my first installment of Good to the Last Dropand due to its popularity, I thought I’d keep the concept going. Here are the latest (and greatest!) beauty products I squeezed or scooped every last bit of product from …

This zinc- and titanium dioxide-based sunscreen protected my skin without causing additional breakouts. I love the non greasy formula that doesn’t turn my makeup all funky. Only down side is the size of the tube. I polished this off quickly.

I talk endlessly about this concealer and it breaks my heart to finish off a tube because a replacement costs a steep $70. It’s so worth it though. Nothing, and I mean nothing, covers blemishes and brown spots like this baby. It’s a small miracle.

My skin is beyond prone to breakouts. It’s been my number one beauty problem since the day I got pregnant three years ago. Thanks to that issue, I have to slather on acne-fighting beauty products consistently, which are super drying. This night cream has been my savior though. It’s oil-free, but the hard-working hyaluronic acid moisturizes like a dream.

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We had planned to save the reveal of our site’s makeover for January, but we’re just too excited about it to wait. So … here it is! We’ll continue to bring you the latest beauty trends and products we love while helping solve your pressing (or not so pressing) beauty problems. We’ll just look a little better while doing it. We hope you like the easier-to-navigate design and welcome any feedback you have to share.

And while we’re on the topic of makeovers, I was on the receiving end of a mini hair makeover myself recently. It gave me the confidence boost I was in serious need of. It sounds superficial to say, but when you look good (or even think you look good) you feel good and exude confidence.

My mini makeover was all thanks to two talented artists at the Spoke & Weal salon in Los Angeles. My colorist, Dell, boosted my natural dark blonde hue by adding thick ribbons of three beige-blonde shades. The result was subtle, but gave me a hit of brightness I was lacking. Lindsay, who did my cut, chopped off a couple of inches, but more importantly, she thinned out the under layers of my thick hair to make it easier to manage and help it appear less poofy. This subtle tweak made me like my shorter haircut so much more. Here’s the before an after. The photos aren’t great, I know, (the lighting was better in the “before”), but I think they give you a good sense of the transformation.

Do you have plans for a makeover in 2015? We’d love to hear about it and share advice if you’re open to it!

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Get ready! This is our biggest collection of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals ever. What beauty products are you going to grab this week?

Ahava Mineral Body Lotion

Who: Ahava:

What: On Black Friday, get 35% off any order (hello, Dead Sea bath salts). Use the code BFRIDAY14. On Cyber Monday you can snatch up 35% off and get a free Ahava Triple Mineral Body Lotion using the promo code CYBRMON35.

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If you have wavy or curly hair, you probably have as many hairstyling products stashed under your sink and in your medicine cabinet as I do (read: too many to count). And you’ve probably tossed double that amount in the trash after a few tragic uses, too. Am I right? That’s why, when I find a product or cocktail of products that work wonders on my medium-thick, frizzy waves, I talk about them. So here I am, (sorta) talking…